


Catching Fireflies

by OhMyMorticia, StormDriver



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anti Form Shenanigans, Dream Eater Riku (Kingdom Hearts), F/F, F/M, I don't know how heavy the shipping will be but Riku is pretty into Sora that's for sure, Implied Relationships, M/M, Multi, Permanent Anti Form, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Somehow my friends went from haha Gremlin Anti Sora to me writing a whole piece, eventually there will be fluff, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhMyMorticia/pseuds/OhMyMorticia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormDriver/pseuds/StormDriver
Summary: After spending years fighting off the darkness, the Keyblade trio is finally together again- or they were supposed to be. After a mission gone awry, Riku and Kairi must combat darkness from a whole different angle, lest their friend be consumed in shadow forever.





	Catching Fireflies

**Author's Note:**

> SO I was dissatisfied with the original, and got caught up with school. The wonderful StormDriver is also going to be my lead editor from now on, so hopefully this version is even better after their suggestions <3 
> 
> Chapter 2 will follow soon!

Riku inhaled deep, desperately wishing for the familiar smell of palm trees and the sea to calm his nerves. It was one of the things he loved about traveling with Sora and Kairi: that smell. The salt of the sea mixing with the sweet bark and distant hint of the paopu fruit that grew not far from their little house. It stuck to all three of them, deeply rooted in their skin and hair. There were differences, of course. Kairi always smelled more like the local flowers that grew in their backyard and Sora’s skin was embedded with the sea air. He had been told he smelled more like the trees, the three of them taking in the aroma of the island together. Even the smell, however, simply wasn’t enough to help him.

It had been five days since Sora had contacted either Riku or Kairi. The implications of it were driving him insane.

It wasn’t completely unheard of for one of them to go off the radar for maybe a day or so, thanks to the duties of a Keyblade Wielder being particularly...hectic. In fact, if it was anyone but Sora, Riku wouldn’t have thought twice about the lack of contact. Any period of time beyond when he was asleep was always expected to be filled with the melody of Kairi and Riku’s gummiphones going off all through the day, and even when Sora slept Riku was connected to him from his time as the young hero’s Dream Eater.

The Keyblade Master yawned at the thought of sleep, his eyes burning. When was the last time he really got any good sleep, anyway? The bags under his eyes ached, his scalp hurting from the messy ponytail his hair had been pulled into two days ago. Sora was the one who wanted it to grow out; he loved the way it felt and enjoyed messing with it. The length felt significantly less worth having when Sora wasn’t around.

Kairi seemed to be holding it together a bit better than he was, though Riku could tell she wasn’t sleeping as well either. Her hair was messy, the short length allowing for it to stick up wildly when she had a particularly restless night. This morning, however, Kairi emerged with her hair perfectly brushed; she hadn’t even tried to lay down. She’d been telling him for days that it was fine, that it wasn’t unheard of, that it was ok if he didn’t communicate with them every single day.

_ But five days? _

_ Five days was far too long _ .

Riku leaned his elbows on the railing of the porch, eyes glued to the sea  as the sun peeked over the horizon . He held his phone in his hands, subconsciously flipping it over and over as his arms dangled over the ledge. He tried to tell himself to listen to Kairi. Sora always said he wanted to call every night, but that didn’t mean that he could. If there was anything to worry about, Sora would have been told them right away, right?  And even if he couldn’t, Riku doubted that Donald, Goofy, or even Mickey would hold off on telling them anything.

_ You’re just paranoid because things have been so good _ , he told himself. He’d been so used to things going wrong, maybe he just couldn’t get used to things going right for a change.  _ You’ve been spending too much time in Sora’s nightmares _ . If he said it enough, he’d believe it. Riku was sure he just forgot how to recognize a dream when he saw one. And he surely was in one, wasn’t he? 

The three of them were finally together now, living on the island in a house that they helped build together over the last three years. It was picturesque, overlooking the shore from a cliffside, with ample flowers and trees growing around them. There was a small beach below them that hid the gummiship from view, their access to other worlds limited only by the number of planets and galaxies in existence. They could explore as much as they wanted, and all of it would be as a group this time. There was no more leaving anyone behind, save for the personal assignments. Often enough, those could be turned into a group effort if they made a good enough case. It was everything Riku had ever wanted; even if they had to take a pause on their outings to defeat a stray Heartless or two. Things were good.

_It would be okay, he just had to stop freaking out_. He was living the dream!  Sure, they had to leave from time to time on missions. If they were lucky, they could make a case for going together too though. But to wake up each day knowing that Sora and Kairi were mere steps away was a blessing. Riku knew better than anyone how dreams could turn, though. He looked down at his gummiphone, and Riku couldn’t help but curse the device. It was so much easier to not worry about what was happening when he didn’t have 24-hour access to Sora. Before they had the phones, Sora could go missing for a week and Riku would assume he’d come back fine. 

Two swipes of his thumb brought up his contact, looking over the messages from the last week.

 

**Sora**

_ RIKU U GOTTA COME HERE SOME TIME  _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Why do I have to go? Also, should you really be texting while you’re on a mission? _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Its ok, we have down time right nwo and there’s a reaally cool restaurant here! _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ The food smells soooooo gooooood! And I know the girl who owns it! _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ I think you would like the music here too. I can show you how to dance! _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Yeah? Maybe I’ll take Kairi to eat there then…and I’m sure she’d like to dance…. _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ What?? NOT FAIR RIKU I FOUND IT! Either u take me or u take us both! _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Is that how that works? We’ll see. _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Well yeah!! You find it you get dibs on the first outing!!! _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Alright, alright. You get us a table at that restaurant, and it’ll be my treat. _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Wow, 3 hours without a response. I’m impressed. Or did Donald take your phone? _

_ -sent five days ago _

 

_ Kairi and I didn’t get a call last night. Did Donald really take your phone? _

_ -sent four days ago _

 

_ Sora? _

_ -sent four days ago _

 

_ I swear to god Sora if you broke the phone again, I’m not getting you a new one again. _

_ -sent three days ago _

 

_ Another no call night? Did you really break it? _

_ -sent two days ago _

 

_ Message me soon. _

_ -sent yesterday _

 

_ Call me. _

_ -sent yesterday _

 

_ Are you getting these?  _

_ -sent 2:34 a.m. _

 

_ Sora? _

_ -sent 4:02 a.m. _

 

Riku could feel the tension of his furrowed brows tempt a headache as he stared at the phone, as though his glaring could silently will Sora into answering his texts. He’d been doing that far more than he’d like to admit for the past two days.

“Riku?” Kairi’s voice crashed through his thoughts, causing him to jump visibly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you…”

He turned and leaned his back against the rails, watching the short redhead approach lazily. Her feet dragged in her slippers, the barely risen sunlight making her hair glow until it was eclipsed by his torso. Kairi leaned forward and rested her head on his chest. Riku dropped his arms to wrap them around her. She was still in her sleepwear, a robe thrown over haphazardly. His nose rested in her hair, and the flowery smell of the island enveloped him.

“Did you sleep any? You still have your shoes on…” Her voice was muffled, tired from what he could only assume was her groans of irritation at her own lack of sleep. He shifted, closing his eyes. Riku could lie, of course. Say he tried and had just gotten up. Kairi knew him better that though, and even if he had simply just gotten up, he still had on the same white T-shirt and pants from yesterday. 

“I...couldn’t, no.”

“Has...Sora slept?” Riku flinched at the question. Kairi looked up, frowning as she wrapped her arms around his middle. “Still nothing? Not even a minute?”

“No...not that I’ve been able to tell.”

“Maybe...he just hasn’t had any dreams?”

Riku grunted, a half-hearted shrug given in place of a reply. He doubted that was the case, the idea of Sora staying up for 5 days being far more likely. A hand reached up, cupping Riku’s cheek. It dragged him out of his thoughts.

“He’ll be ok. He always is. We got him back plenty of times! Even after Xehanort,” Kairi assured him. She gave him a smile, one that he knew better than anyone--she’d let her eyes close slowly, lips pulling back into a wide grin as she giggled more.  _ A Kairi signature, _ he mused.

“You’re right. But, if I have to go and save him again…” Riku returned Kairi’s smile, a small and barely convincing chuckle in his throat. They joked about it, sure, but a small piece of him was truly terrified that they would have to go and dig through the afterlife once more for him.

“You know...Sora likes to wait here when you’re not here too.” Kairi hummed, once more returning to leaning her head on Riku’s chest. She could feel his heart when they were close, but she always enjoyed listening to it even more. “He’ll stand right where you’re standing and pout at his phone. I think he must spend at least half his day looking at his phone and asking if I think we should call you yet. I think he’d actually explode your phone if I let him!”

“Oh? You mean to say you don’t try to contact me constantly too?” Riku teased. The more normal they acted, the less they would worry...right? 

“Well...not as much as Sora does.” She giggled, and this time Riku felt himself genuinely smile. His smile was a soft tug at his lips, nothing as large or grin-like as hers or Sora’s, but they seemed to treasure it even more because of it. 

Suddenly, Kairi stepped back, her arms no longer around him. His own arms parted, and she instead took his hands in hers. He felt cold where she’d once been.

“He’ll come home. He always does.” It almost sounded like she was telling herself, sending a wave guilt over him. How much of her time was spent waiting on one of them to come home? He flipped his hand so hers was in his, giving it a squeeze in return. Even now, he realized, whatever worry they felt when Kairi left was nothing compared to the concern she had when Sora or Riku left. The thought hurt. He wondered if she stood where he and Sora stood when they were gone, waiting. Worrying.

_No_ , he decided. Kairi was more likely using the time to catch up to the two of them. Her determination to grow stronger was admirable. How embarrassing that he and Sora were like lovesick pups waiting at the door while Kairi actually took action. He’d gotten too soft since Xehanort’s defeat. 

Still, making Sora and Kairi wait on hearing from him, especially when he was the one away was going to have to change.

“You’re right,” Riku said finally, “geez, is this really what happens when I leave, though?”  Kairi giggled as he took the hand he held and used it to spin her, keeping it around her waist as he pulled her into a hug. It was, though unbeknownst to her, Riku’s way of promising himself to not cause her any more worry--at least as much as he could help.

Being able to have the moment to make that promise was enough to remind him that things were like a dream.

“Oh, only a bit. We know you’re capable-”

**Doo-dodoo! Doo-dodo-Doododo!**

The sound put Riku’s heart in his throat, the two breaking apart with a jump as they both spun to look at his phone, Riku stumbling to answer.

“So-”

“Riku...Kairi…” It was the King. Riku felt the heat from his face drain away, eyes wide as he scanned the small screen. Mickey was there. It looked like the world Sora had been at, based on the background, and... was that Donald and Goofy in the back? All three wore the same expression, though Goofy and Donald seemed to avoid looking at the phone directly.  Mickey faced them head on, a pained look on his face as he sat silent, waiting for them to respond

He should have known better than to get his hopes up.

“M-Mickey…? What…” Words were hard. Did he even know what they were?

“Riku...Kairi...I’m sorry…”  _ He was sorry? _

_ Dreams twist all the time. Dreams turn into Nightmares all the time. _

“Mickey? What happened?” Kairi took the phone from his hand, and Riku let her. He wasn’t able to move anyways.

_ It’s a nightmare _ . 

“It’s Sora…”

_ This is just a nightmare. He just had to wake up. _

“About three days ago…”

_ Wake up, Riku. Wake up. If you do he’ll be home-- _

“He went after a Heartless… Donald and Goofy said they didn’t know what it was, but they… lost track of him.”

_ If you wake up, he’ll be right there _ .

“We still haven’t found any sign of him,” Goofy said, his voice low and full of worry.

_ If you just wake up, Riku _ .

“Nobody has any idea what happened,” Donald added. 

_ C’mon. Wake up. Sora will be there if you do. _

“We’ve been searching, we didn’t want to worry you but…” Riku felt tense.  _ They didn’t want to worry them _ ? They should have told them! They should have been told because now it’d been three days and so much can happen in three days!

_ Wake up. Please. _

“You guys should come here. It...may help! Maybe you can find something we didn’t.”

_ Please wake up _ .  _ Please don’t be real _ .

“We’ll be there,” Kairi answered. She hung up the phone, looking up at Riku with tear-stained cheeks. He didn’t think he had any in his own eyes, vision still blurred as he stared blankly ahead. Wordlessly, he lifted an arm and pulled Kairi back to him, his hand nestled in her hair as he tucked her head into his chest. His other arm still dangling uselessly at his side as both of Kairi’s wrapped around his torso. Her face was hidden as she shook. 

_ None of this was real _ , he told himself. He couldn’t take it if it was real.

______________________________

 

It was rather clear why the King and others couldn’t find a thing on this world; one side of it was ridiculously bright. A city in a constant state of celebration and cheer. The other side was a dark marsh, the swampy waters ensuring that getting around would be as much trouble as possible. Riku and Kairi stepped off the gummiship as Goofy and Donald approached them, both uncharacteristically solemn, as Mickey greeted their new arrivals. Before anyone could say anything however, Riku raised a hand, motioning for silence as he took a deep breath, eyes closed.

“I know… there’s a lot of catching up to do… but let’s get to business first,” he requested. The King nodded, looking between Donald and Goofy before Goofy stepped forward.

“Well… we were told that there was a strange shadow monster in the swamps, so Sora figured we’d go get it.” Goofy looked back at Donald, who nodded. “Gosh, he uh… guess he musta saw it, ‘cause when we turned around Sora wasn’t anywhere around.” 

“Where were you?” 

“The swamp,” Donald said. 

_ Of course _ , Riku groaned inwardly. He couldn’t have gotten lost somewhere easier to find, or at least bright enough that they could search without missing anything or having to deal with Heartless. 

“Is there  _ anything _ else? Anything at all?” Kairi asked. There was an exchange of glances before Mickey nodded.

“We’ve been told by locals that there’s a specific Heartless that’s been terrorizing the city, and it doesn’t sound like any we’ve encountered before. But it doesn’t seem like it’s attacking the people though, just… lights.”

“It’s attacking lights?” Kairi asked, voicing the same thought Riku had. Sure, the Heartless were made of darkness, but attacking physical  _ lights _ wasn’t exactly part of their MO. He stayed quiet though, scanning the area as he followed behind Kairi and the others.

“Well, sorta,” Goofy cut in. “It kinda seems to be tryin’ to  _ eat  _ the lightbulbs. Gawrsh, you don’t think it’s confused, do ya?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Donald scolded, stamping his foot as Goofy seemed lost at the thought. A confused heartless? The idea was ridiculous, that was certain. 

“Maybe… that Heartless is what got Sora,” Riku mumbled more to himself than anyone, but the thought seemed to resonate with the others as they all stopped, exchanging glances as they considered it. “Have any of you seen it?”

Mickey shook his head, frowning at the ground. “All we know is it looks like a shadow, just… gosh, how big did they say it was?”

“Oh, they said it was about uh… this big!” Goofy gestured, trying to give out the size of the Heartless; whatever it was, it was bigger than a Shadow based on how Goofy struggled. “Gawrsh, it’s awful loud too. Folks’ve been saying they can hear it screaming all night.” 

Riku felt himself tense, stalking towards the streets of the city as he called back to Kairi. “You four start looking in the city. I’ll take care of the swamp.”

“What? But Riku-” Mickey began to object before Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder, crouching down to eye level. She whispered something that seemed to satisfy him, the mouse watching Riku as he disappeared into the marshlands.

 

His first step into them sent his foot sinking deeper than he expected, a small stumble and gasp, followed by the feeling of muck around his foot and ankle. It was going to be a nightmare trying to find Sora in the swamplands, much less any sign that Sora had even been there. Grimacing, Riku wadded through the water, eyes wide and stinging as he tried to blink as little as he could; if he missed a single inch that could tell him anything about what happened to Sora, he’d never forgive himself for it. 

With one hand clutching Braveheart, the boy dug the other hand into his pocket and pulled out his gummiphone, flipping through to find the app that housed Jiminy’s journal notes.Sure, the cricket didn’t share everything that happened on their adventures with the others, but over the past year they’d built the record of Heartless to be shared amongst all the Keyblade wielders. The world, according to the journal, was surprisingly filled with Purebloods, Shadows and Neoshadows. They seemed to spawn in massive hordes based on the record of how many they’d killed, along with Powerwilds, Direplants, even some he hadn’t seen before and-

_ Wait. _

_ Jiminy _ . Riku groaned, pressing his wrist to his forehead. He had been in such a rush, he didn’t bother asking the others if they knew anything about the cricket. Perhaps listening when Mickey called after him would have been a good idea, but it was far too late to think of that.

_ I’ll just have to find him too _ , he decided. If he was lucky, the two would be together. If not, Jiminy could at least lead him to Sora without too much trouble. With a huff, Riku lifted himself up onto the muddy ground, everything below his knees now caked in the murky water and mud. The grass was tall, cutting at the small gap of skin that was exposed on his legs as he trudged through. Mud added weight to each step, slowing him down the farther he progressed. Pressing on, the wielder lifted his Keyblade to illuminate the way with a small orb of light as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. It was going to be impossible to find anything in this grass-

A shift and rustle was his only warning, Riku falling back as a figure launched itself out of the grass. He saw pink, wide and surrounded in sharp fangs snapping down where he’d just been standing. The creature, a Heartless based on the emblem on its underbelly, reared back. It seemed to be mostly mouth, the jaw of the monster opening once more as its small legs skittered the creature closer.  _ Chomp _ , Riku’s leg recoiled seconds before it was lost.  _ Chomp chomp _ , he twisted and pushed himself up to run as the pressure of the creature’s bite brushed against his ankles.

There was no way he was going to be able to fight something that fast in the mud, the Heartless itself camouflaged with muck as it chased after him. Riku pointed the tip of his Keyblade down, the pulse of wind from an Aero spell lifting him up enough to get onto a tree’s branch. He scrambled ever so slightly to balance himself under the creaking limb, his boots just barely keeping enough traction to keep him in place. The Heartless skidded, snarling at the orb of air before trying to crush it in its jaws. It looked like a twisted sort of lizard, its head about two thirds of its size, the remaining third being a body that seemed impossible to support the head attached to it. It was hard to tell up close, but there was no doubt in Riku’s mind now that it could swallow him whole with ease based on the size of it. The legs, though small, had claws that allowed the creature to dig into the ground, tracks following its path of dug up earth as it ran.  _ If he was just a bit better with magic… _

Looking around, he spotted what seemed to be a graveyard in the distance. It wouldn’t be the best, but the ground would certainly be more stable than it was in the marsh. There wasn’t much he could do until he got to more solid ground; not with the advantage this Heartless had.  _ How did Sora deal with these? _ There was no time to pull out the journal now. Riku rushed through the air from branch to branch, trying to create more distance from the large creature. Glancing over his shoulder, a flash of green and brown sped after him on the ground, the grass hiding it once more. 

He should have been looking forward, a sudden rush of air encompassing him as he ran out of trees. For a moment he felt like he was floating above the graveyard’s grounds. His stomach launched itself into his throat as the Earth sped closer, a tightly tucked roll saving him from taking the brunt of the impact head-on. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space for him to roll out fully, the momentum crashing him into a tombstone as the Heartless sped towards him. 

_ Shit _ .

Braveheart lifted, Riku braced himself for the heat as Fira was shot at the creature’s open mouth. The flame seemed to explode at the back of its throat, the Heartless screeching and recoiling as Riku took the chance to roll past it and turn to run deeper into the graveyard. Looking back once more, the creature seemed to have slowed down, its clawed paws no longer being able to dig into the ground as easily as it skittered forward. 

_ Why didn’t he keep his eyes forward? _ Once again, his lack of attention was punished, a small headstone tripping him. The boy saw stars, his chin slamming hard into the ground as he bit down on his lip and tasted iron. His ankle ached, and his gloves were the only thing that protected him from scraping his hands against the rough ground. Face now covered in mud, he looked around trying to orientate himself. 

All at once, the world seemed to shift. A flash of bright red and yellow sticking out from a small bit of mud nearby caught his eye, time slowing as he registered what he was looking at:  _ a gummiphone _ . It was cracked, water leaking into the screen as mud caked the sides. The Heartless was near, but he couldn’t care even if he wanted. Instead, his eyes remained locked on the gummiphone, the screen fizzing and fuzzing in and out as it glitched.He could almost make out the message notifications, or was he telling himself that because he knew it should be there? 

The jaw opened, and Braveheart was lifted without a thought. Expression blank, he felt the spark of Thundaga hit, the light of the magic reflecting off the gummiphone. Another screech was halted short, the poof of the Heartless barely registering as Riku dragged himself to his feet, walking towards the broken device. He felt cold, a numbness he thought he’d never feel again spreading over him as his vision blurred. The dark whispered, and for a moment he almost wanted to give into it.  _ Sora wouldn’t lose that easy _ . 

Eyes closing, Riku clenched his jaw and breathed deep as he felt the numbness fade, reopening his eyes slowly as he picked up the gummiphone and looked it over.  _ Sora’s still out there _ . He just had to find him and then-

**_SCCRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ **

The scream snapped his thoughts in half, the boy spinning around towards the direction- _ the city _ . If he was right, then that was the monster that was terrorizing the city that the others went to investigate. Pocketing the broken phone, Riku running towards the city, and away from the nightmarish possibilities of what fate befell his dear friend. 

 

______________________________

 

“You four start looking in the city. I’ll take care of the swamp.”

“What? But Riku-” Mickey began to object before Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder, crouching down to eye level. 

“Let him do this. I don’t think he’ll be listening much right now anyways,” she whispered. Mickey frowned, looking between Kairi and Riku before sighing in defeat. Looking back to watch Riku leave, the redhead frowned.  _ He took on too much for his own good _ . 

“Let’s go, Sora’s nearby! I can feel it!” She assured the others, smiling for them all as she spun towards the city. It was bright, even through what seemed to be an eternal evening, the sound of brass instruments mixed with pianos and strings in a way that spun around the air in a way she’d never heard before. Sora was right, the world was different from anything they’d seen. There was a sense of life in the air that made your heart thump with each shift in the music. Pouring into the streets from different shops and restaurants. She could practically see Sora in her mind’s eye, spinning through the streets and grinning as she walked ahead of the others. Maybe they can all dance some when they were together again.

One restaurant was especially lively, rich aromas seeping out into the street through the door, the silhouettes of people dancing through the windows’ lights. They may as well start there, right? It seemed like something Sora be drawn to, the thought making Kairi smile as she pushed through the doors.The music and aroma of spices and food encapsulating her sense as she entered. There was no pause in the chatter and delight, though, as the patrons continued to revel in the music and food. Kairi honestly couldn’t imagine just what could be more up his alley. She looked back to check that her companions were close behind before she turned her attention back to the patrons of the restaurant.

“Excuse me,” she approached a podium where a man and woman stood, the two whispering to each other--the owners perhaps, based on how they dressed. There was a sort of air around the two, a teasing secret smile on the woman’s face as the man spoke to her. They jumped at the sound of Kairi’s voice, seemingly embarrassed that they hadn’t noticed her sooner. The man jumped into action first, a crooked smile that could only be described as charming on his face as he spoke.

“Ah, hello! Welcome! What can we help you with?” He spoke with an accent that seemed different from the other locals Kairi had overheard but had a confidence that confirmed he had some sort of ownership in the business. 

“I’m looking for something. Do you have a moment to answer some questions?” Mickey piped up, walking up next to Kairi as he spoke. The woman looked to him, then back at Goofy and Donald, a sort of surprising recognition on her face. 

“Oh, Donald! Goofy! Why, what’re y’all doin’ back? Where’s Sora?”

“That’s why we’re here actually,” Kairi smiled, offering her hand. “I’m Kairi! I’m also a friend of his.” 

“Oh,  _ of course _ . Sorry, I’m Tiana, and this is my husband Naveen. You know, Sora--he mentioned you! And… Riku, was it? The other boy? Why Sora ‘bout talked our ears off about you two. Is there somethin’ wrong?” Tiana’s smile was warm as she spoke, and when they shook hands Kairi could feel the light in her, similar to her own.

_ A princess _ ? 

“Sora’s...we can’t find him,” Donald sighed.

“Oh, Goodness! Well...oh gosh, well I’ll start from the beginnin’ then. We met Sora, oh, four or five days ago, right Donald, Goofy? He said he was here to take care of them creatures--the Heartless he said? Well, he went on and disappeared and another nasty one showed up. It’s been a terror the past few nights. Seems to avoid the dark areas of the city though, and you’ll know if it’s in the dark too. The darn thing starts  _ yowling _ when an area gets dark.”

Kairi looked to the others, all of them confirming Tiana’s information to be accurate, but nothing new. Still, the redhead gave the suspected-princess another wide smile, a small bow to her head as she placed a hand on her chest.

“Thank you for your help. Let us know if you hear anything else!” She waved, turning to leave as her mind was already turning at the possible routes they could take. Whatever this new Heartless was, it would have a better chance of leading them to Sora than anything else… but was it… It was afraid of the dark?

Could Heartless be afraid of the dark? Sure, they seemed to have preferences on where they spawned, but being afraid of the dark seemed… impossible. 

“When you see Sora, tell him we’ve got him a table saved for him whenever he wants!” The man’s voice followed, causing Kairi to giggle ever so slightly. Of course, he would look for a place to go out with her and Riku in the middle of a mission. The location made sense too; it was about as loud and bright as he was.

_ Which made it the perfect spot to look for that Heartless _ \--

“Donald, could you help me out?” Kairi asked, turning to the duck as he seemed to jump, looking at the girl with surprise.

“What’dya need?” 

“We need to make it dark! If we short out the lights, they should turn off long enough that whatever this Heartless is, it’ll get scared and we’ll find it, right?” The other three looked at Kairi, the plan slowly turn in their heads before all three grinned and gave cries of excitement.

“Yeah! We can corner it, and maybe figure out what the source of it is!” 

“Mmhn,” Kairi hummed, smiling as she summoned her Keyblade, pointing it to the nearby lamppost. She certainly hoped that the locals weren’t too upset with the sudden power outage. 

She started her search, keeping an eye for any strangely moving shadows as she and Donald began casting Thundaga on the nearby lights, short-circuiting them until they went out. Slowly, the street grew darker and darker, with a few gasps and jumps from the locals, each given an apologetic smile and wave from the group as they continued to spread out through the streets. Donald and Goofy stuck together as Kairi and Mickey both split away in their own directions each. 

She continued to scan the area as she walked, pace slow and deliberate, casting Thundaga until it no longer worked. Even with her larger than average mana supply, it wasn’t enough, the girl downing an elixir before she cast the spell once more-

**_SCCRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ **

_ Was that what the Heartless sounded like? _ It sounded like it was in pain… or maybe it really was afraid. Kairi felt almost bad for it as a nearby trash can tipped over, something crashing hard into it. The monster moved quickly, Kairi ready for it to attack as the shadowy figure seemed to continue to shriek. It ran straight at her, and though she had her Keyblade drawn and at the ready, the creature instead ran right past her towards the lit street behind her.

“H-Hey! Get back here!” She called after it, and for a moment she could see the vague outline of the shadows stop and spin its head around, wide yellow eyes searching the dark for her before another yelp was let out and it ran once more. The way it moved was completely feral, yet its shape seemed more solid and… human than most of the Shadows she’d seen. 

Sure, she wasn’t as familiar as Riku or Sora were with Heartless, but she certainly couldn’t recall many who actively ran from a fight with a Keyblade wielder. She panted as she tried to keep up with the creature. It tore down the street faster than she could manage to follow. Still, the girl kept pushing, eyes locked on the figure as it grew closer to the light and---

_ No _ . 

Kairi skidded to a halt, and she felt like doubling over. Her stomach was twisted.

**_No_ ** .

The creature climbed a pole, its movements inhuman as it reached the light on top of the post. 

_ Was this even possible? _

It seemed to calm down, strangely enough, latched onto the orb of light as it wandered around it, eyes locked onto it as it twitched. Even made of shadow, Kairi could place its figure anywhere. She’d done it once before even when he was trapped as a Shadow. She wouldn’t be able to distinguish it, if not for the obvious spiked hair, then for the way it was dressed, its face. The way  _ he _ was dressed,  _ his  _ face. 

“Sora…?” She barely managed a whisper, walking closer cautiously as ‘Sora’ seemed to focus only on the light. He moved in twitches and spasms, and though much of his features were muddled in the dark shadows of his form, she could still make out his mouth opening as wide as he could manage, ‘Sora’ seemingly trying to bite the lamp as he latched onto it.

‘Sora,’ if that truly was him, didn’t seem to take notice until Kairi’s grip on her Keyblade loosened, the sound of the metal clanging to the ground surprised ‘Sora’ despite Kairi’s lack of response. Had ‘Sora’ not reacted, he would have assumed that the sound wasn’t real.  _ None of this was real _ . Even though she’d seen him as a Heartless before, this was  _ different _ . The form was completely  _ Sora _ , and if he was a Heartless then--

She watched as ‘Sora’ took notice of her finally, head twitching from side to side as he moved in a way that was akin to a sort of lizard. Somehow he stayed on the lamppost despite the impossible angle. He was… crouched? Slowly, ‘Sora’ inched closer as Kairi also approached, and the shadowy boy dropped down, hanging off a small nook on the post from his foot. He stared face to face with Kairi, his head upright as his arms dangled loosely below him. In a strange way, the way he moved, though gremlin-like, was… charming?

It was  _ Sora _ . 

‘Sora’ produced a strange sound, something not unlike a gurgling chirp, as he seemed to watch Kairi with the utmost curiosity. She watched the yellow eyes squint and widen as he looked her over, suddenly dropping down to the ground. Jumping back, the girl braced herself, only for ‘Sora’ to remain crouched where he’d landed, head snapping to and fro in what seemed like an attempt to look at her better. Could he not recognize her? 

“Sora, it’s me,” she managed, dropping to her knees before him, ignoring the way the concrete scrapped her skin. ‘Sora’ sniffed at her, leaning on his claws so he could get closer, and in a moment of impulse, she pulled him close. 

_ It’d worked last time, hadn’t it? _

Arms around ‘Sora’ in a tight embrace, Kairi closed her eyes. It would be like the last time, wouldn’t it? Only… this time there was no flash of light and no warmth. This time, the figure remained cold and dark, and she could feel the fear bubbling in her stomach.  _ This has to be him, so why isn’t it working this time? _

The shadowy boy seemed to purr, almost, and Kairi felt his arms wrap around her waist as his head ducked under her grip, face nuzzling into her stomach as a soft noise, came from him.

**_Kkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaa~_ **

Closing her eyes, Kairi focused. The shadow continued to be content, nuzzling into her as though she was the first warm thing he’d felt in all his life, and deep within his form she could feel his heart. 

_ It was Sora. _

_ So why was he still like this? _

“Sora… what happened?” She asked though she knew he couldn’t answer. Instead, Sora continued to happily bury himself in her stomach as Kairi placed a hand on his head.  She shivered at the feeling, his hair feeling almost misty despite its solid texture. Still, she ran her hand through his hair, patting down the spikes as Sora seemed to give a twitch and snort in response. It was, in a strange way, peaceful as she held him, his movements not too far different from how he moved when he slept on especially fitful nights. 

“ _ KAIRI! _ ” The voice caused them both to jolt, Kairi realizing she’d closed her eyes only once they were wide open.

**_RREEEEEEEEEEEEE_ ** \--!!! The shadow Sora screamed, jumping back and pressing himself into the wall of the building that stood behind him. Both of them looked to where the voice came from, spotting Riku running towards them, Braveheart drawn and sparking. Riku’s eyes were dark, anger plain as he thrust the Keyblade forward before Kairi could attempt to call out for him to stop.

The thunder struck between she and Sora, the shadow hissing as he hid away from the attack. Riku stopped a few feet from her, oblivious to the realization of who it was he was attacking. 

“Riku! Stop! You don’t understand it’s-”

**_SCRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--_ **

Kairi watched, stunned, as Sora launched himself at Riku. It seemed like an impossible misunderstanding, but the shadow collided with Riku, the two of them tumbling as Sora tugged and pushed at the Keyblade. Running to the two, her thoughts raced. What if they hurt each other?  _ What if something worse happens?  _ Riku managed to flip the two of them, his larger size lending to his ability to control the fight in his favor as Sora flailed. One clawed hand was on Riku’s wrist, holding Braveheart away, the other claw on his shoulder. The two of them focused on the struggle over Riku’s Keyblade. She flinched, watching as blows were exchanged between them.

“Riku! Stop!” Kairi tried, stopping just short of the two. 

“Stop?! Kairi, this Heartless-”

“He’s not a Heartless! Look at him!” 

Riku snarled, focus still on the Keyblade, but his gaze shifted to look down at the creature he was wrestling with. It was hard for Kairi to know what his exact thought process could have been, but she saw the moment it seemed to  _ click _ . Riku’s grip loosened, and Sora managed to get the Keyblade away from him, throwing it as best as he could away from the two of them before lifting his legs to wrap around Riku’s waist, twisting so that he was straddling the older boy and holding him down by the shoulder. Riku made no attempt to fight, his eyes wide as Sora raised his claws above him.

“Sora! Stop!” Kairi spoke with more stern confidence towards the Shadow. Sora paused at the order. Riku remained still under the yellow glare, the emotion in his eyes akin to horror as Sora finally looked up to Kairi. A clicking purr came from him, as though he’d been proud of his work at pinning Riku down. “Sora, you hurt Riku! Aren’t you upset?”

The question was received with a tilt of his head, Sora looking from her back to Riku. He leaned in, raised claws now lowered despite his constant grip on the other boy’s shoulder. Riku, still in stunned silence, tensed as Sora grew closer, both of the boys seeming to get a good enough look at each other, to confirm what Kairi was suggesting. 

“Kairi-” Riku managed before Sora seemed to jolt, his voice confirming his identity to the shadow.

**_KKKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_ **

Sora wailed, recoiling away from Riku. He held his head, snarls and whines coming from the shadow boy as he tried to back away. Riku wasn’t having it, standing up to follow after in shock. His weakness always was, and always would be, Sora. Kairi stepped towards the two, only for Riku to hold a hand out to her to hold her back, walking towards Sora with what could only be utter heartbreak in his eyes.

“Sora? Sora, is that really-” He started to ask, but the Shadow screeched, smacking Riku’s outreached hand away. “Sora please-”

**_SCREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-_ **

Sora lashed out, growling as he swiped at Riku. There was no time to react before Riku was smacked. Kairi felt her throat hitch with a gasp, her eyes just as wide as Riku’s as they locked eyes, Riku’s head having been turned by the force of the impact. Blood leaked from the thin lines on his cheek, neither knowing how to respond as they both stood frozen.

The sound of Sora’s retreating howls almost unregistered as he disappeared, Kairi rushing over to Riku in a fit of worry as the two collapsed into one another. 

_ What had happened to Sora? _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Go ahead and kill me Fluffy. I'm ready for it.


End file.
